English Online Dictionary. What means encounter? What does encounter mean?
English
Etymology
From Middle English encountren, from Anglo-Norman encountrer, Old French encontrer (“to confront”), from encontre (“against, counter to”), from Late Latin incontrā (“in front of”) itself from Latin in (“in”) + contrā (“against”).
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ɪnˈkaʊntə/, /ɪŋˈkaʊntə/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ɪnˈkaʊntɚ/, /ɪŋˈkaʊntɚ/
- Rhymes: -aʊntə(ɹ)
- Hyphenation: en‧coun‧ter
Verb
encounter (third-person singular simple present encounters, present participle encountering, simple past and past participle encountered)
- (transitive) To meet (someone) or find (something), especially unexpectedly.
- Synonym: cross paths
- (transitive) To confront (someone or something) face to face.
- (transitive, intransitive) To engage in conflict, as with an enemy.
- (transitive, euphemistic, India) To kill or execute someone extrajudicially.
Alternative forms
- encountre, incountre, incounter (all obsolete)
Derived terms
Translations
Noun
encounter (plural encounters)
- A meeting, especially one that is unplanned or unexpected.
- A hostile, often violent meeting; a confrontation, skirmish, or clash, as between combatants.
- (sports) A match between two opposing sides.
- (sexuality) A sexual encounter; sexual activity, especially unplanned or unexpected, between two people who have not already established a sexual relationship with each other. In many cases, it does not lead to a relationship, and thus is utterly transient. A sexual encounter can be consensual or non-consensual; in the latter case, it is known as sexual assault. A consensual sexual encounter that happens only once is commonly known as a one-night stand.
- (sciences) The period of a space mission during which it carries out its data-gathering objectives.
- (India) An extrajudicial killing or execution.
Synonyms
- (hostile meeting): clash, confrontation, brush, skirmish
Derived terms
Translations
Anagrams
- encountre